A massive fire at a godown in Vasundhara Enclave, East Delhi, sent thick black smoke across the area on Sunday, prompting residents of nearby homes to evacuate and requiring more than 25 fire tenders and up to 100 personnel to bring the blaze under control. The fire broke out near Dharamshila Narayana Superspeciality Hospital, but the hospital said its premises and operations remained unaffected and that all patients were safe.
The smoke plume was visible from more than 10 kilometres away as flames spread through the godown, which stood on an 800-square-yard plot and was rented to three people. The area was cordoned off while firefighting operations continued for seven hours. Police said the fire had been brought under control, although it had not been completely extinguished by late Sunday night.
A firefighter, Sunil Sagar, was taken to another hospital for treatment after suffering smoke inhalation. Fire services personnel faced additional difficulty because the godown was structurally weak and collapsed from the middle, according to a fire services officer. The collapse limited access to the building, leaving crews able to approach the blaze only from the front while debris had to be cleared to reach the remaining flames.
Workers inside the godown initially attempted to control the fire using water and a fire extinguisher, but retreated as the blaze intensified. Md Sahil, 20, who was loading scrap into a truck, said the workers abandoned their effort when the fire became unmanageable. Local residents also entered the area to retrieve some goods, including plywood and other materials, although most of the stored material was believed to have been destroyed.
The incident also raised concerns among residents about the presence of godowns and scrap businesses in a densely populated neighbourhood. Ramvir Singh, who lives next to the site, said smoke entered several houses as the flames rose above the godown. Another resident, Mohit, said a fire had occurred at the same location in 2016, although police said they were not aware of such an incident.
Dharamshila Narayana Superspeciality Hospital issued a statement saying there was no requirement to shift or evacuate any patient. “The hospital premises and its operations were unaffected, and all the patients were safe,” the hospital said. Firefighting operations were continuing late into the night as crews worked to clear the collapsed debris and fully extinguish the remaining flames.
